Keshite! RIRAITO Shite!
by Hoperise
Summary: The last member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, and the remaining Sannin, well, you'll see.
1. Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

Title: Second Chances

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Rating: T for violence and language. May change in the future.

Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: _Naruto _and all characters and affiliates belong to Minamoto-sensei. Eska and other original characters belong to us.

Full Summary: The remaining member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, which the depressed boy seizes immeadietly, though not before receiving a rather unique 'present' from the other Sannin.

---

_'Thinking'_

"Speaking"

**'Kyuubi Thinking'**

**"Kyuubi Speaking"**

---

'Just a few more miles... a few more miles... few... more...' Naruto thought to himself, forcing himself to pick up his foot again and place it down. He was hungry, thirsty, in complete agony, and incredibly fatigued. He hadn't slept a wink in four days and was moving on sheer will power and his own chakra. Kyuubi was doing his best to heal Naruto's numerous injuries, but the boy refused to let the demon work. The repressed chakra sizzled in the air around Naruto like scarlet electricity.

Naruto looked up and saw the village gates come into view from behind a turn in the path. He shifted the burden on his shoulders and changed the mantra he'd been muttering to 'Just a few more steps'.

The burden he carried weighed more then he did, but he held it carefully, as one would a porcelain doll. The fragile body of Uchiha Sasuke was slumped over Naruto's shoulders, eyes permanently shut. Naruto shivered, despite the fact that it was a warm summer day. He looked up again, his weary eyes searching, searching.

He passed through the village gates and past a girl who would have been pretty, if not for her rather large forehead. "Naruto! You did it! You found Sasuke-kun!" she cried with joy, running towards the Jinchuuriki. Naruto didn't even turn his head. His frosty gaze turned to her and rested on her for a moment, then returned to the ground.

The girl, Haruno Sakura, halted in her tracks. She shuddered violently. What was that look in his eyes? Shaking off the feeling, she ran towards Naruto and her beloved Sasuke again. But as she drew within range, she was suddenly blasted backwards, into a cabbage stand by the road. ((Couldn't help it. )) Sakura fell to the ground, stunned. "Naruto? What- NARUTO! Come back here when I'm talking to you!" she yelled at the boy, who simply kept moving, slowly but surely heading for the center of the village.

Gradually, a small group of people congregated behind Naruto, following him to the village square. There were low murmurs, but no one spoke loudly. They were afraid of what had happened, unsure of how to react. After all, when the village idiot shows up with the village prodigy unconscious on his back, both coated with blood, what would you do? Every so often a villager would try and approach Naruto and take Sasuke from him, but they would be thrown back by an unknown force.

In the village center, Tsunade and a small squad of ANBU members stood. Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage of Konohagurake, had her arms folded over her rather impressive chest. She stared at the boy, not with the confusion and barely-masked hatred that the villagers did, but with concern and slight uncertainty.

Naruto kept walking until he was about ten feet from Tsunade, then, for the first time in four days, stopped. He looked up at Tsunade apologetically, then collapsed. Uzumaki and Uchiha fell together, their bodies making identical thumps on the sun-baked dirt. Naruto's body crackled with Kyuubi's chakra.

For the first time, the pair were fully exposed to the eyes of the entire village. Around Sasuke's neck was the headband of the leaf... with a line cut through the center, indicating that for however brief a period, Sasuke had been a missing-nin. His left arm was severed from the elbow down, the front of his shirt torn off, and a hole had been blasted through his chest, right where his heart would have been. Identifying circular marks around the wounds would show, to a trained eye, that Sasuke had been the victim of a particularly powerful Rasengan.

Likewise, on Naruto's shirt, there were two gaping holes. One showed bare flesh beneath, but the other revealed an unhealed wound. Something had passed all the way through Naruto's lower back, tearing out a good deal of his abdomen. A closer looker would show that it was a messy hit, as if the person who caused it had missed. There were severe burns up and down Naruto's left arm, as if the skin had been burned off.

The crowd of people behind Naruto thinned and swarmed around the pair, unsure if they should approach. Tsunade called for medic-nin to come help her immeadietly, and the pair were taken to a ninja hospital, where the medic-nin would commence treatment... that which they could..

---

_"Chidori!"_

_"Rasengan!"_

Two voices screamed the name of their attacks into the night. Naruto flew through the air, hurtling towards Sasuke. His own purple Rasengan passed right by Sasuke's own black and white Chidori, heading for the Uchiha's arm, and underneath, his heart.

But at the last second, a flash of alarm, as if he finally knew what he was doing, appeared on Sasuke's face. Too late, he could not stop his attack. Instead, he forced his arm lower and to the right for a non-lethal blow.

Naruto's crimson, slitted eyes were blurred with confusion and fury. Too late to stop. Too late to pause. Too late to rewind and try it all again...

His Rasengan tore through his best friends arm and dug into his chest, destroying flesh and bone, rending muscle and tendon, bursting the heart of the boy he had once admired. Sasuke let out a bellow of pain, but it was cut short as his eyes dulled to his natural black and became lifeless.

Naruto went into shock as he stared at Sasuke. The flame-like marks of the cursed seal withdrew, his wings folded into his back, and his hair darkened to a deep blue-black. Naruto looked at his arm in horror, seeing the blood of his comrade, team mate, and rival splattered all along it. And in his hand, he no longer held a glowing purple Rasengan... but Sasuke's own, still beating heart.

---

The scream that the blonde suddenly let out as his eyes flew open nearly deafened all those in the surrounding room. Naruto struggled violently, but he was being held down! What was holding him? He had to get free! Get away! Go! He began to form a Rasengan in his hand, preparing to blow away anything that stopped him.

Suddenly, a strong female voice cried out, "Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu! (Forced Sleep Technique)" and Naruto's eyes rolled back in his head.

---

Two days had passed, and the operation to reconstruct Naruto's chest and arm had been a success, thanks in part to the boy's resident. Tsunade sighed and wiped her forehead clean of sweat. She'd have to remind Naruto when he woke up how very hard he was to operate on, especially when he was thrashing around so hard. But even when he was under the effects of the powerful sleeping jutsu, he was incredibly distracting, eyes squeezed tight in a grimace, sweating like anything. Something was giving him horrific nightmares, and Tsunade had a pretty good idea what.

Even now, he was under the influence of the dreams. He was muttering things to himself silently, and Tsunade was certain she did not want to know what. Naruto twitched and struggled, but the restraints held fast.

Tsunade suddenly stood up, unable to stand watching the young boy's agony any longer. Her quick movement caused the chair she was sitting in to make a loud creak of protest. Though it went against the most important thing she'd learned as a medic-nin (always allow proper time to rest), she couldn't let this continue. Tsunade formed a hand seal and molded a small bit of chakra. "Kai! (Dispel)" she cried, and Naruto's eyes flew open.

Naruto took in a gasp of air, like a drowning man would. He immeadietly began struggling to get loose, intense fear shining in his deep blue eyes. Thick leather bands across the top of the bed held him down, and despite his efforts, he was no closer to getting free then when he was asleep.

Tsunade gave Naruto a quick slap in the face. "Naruto! Wake up! Get a hold of yourself!" she cried. The boy stopped struggling and the fear slowly faded from his eyes. "It's alright. You're in the hospital now. You brought back the Uchiha boy two days ago."

Naruto closed his eyes in realization. "And...what else has happened, obaa-chan?" he asked, voice gravelly from not using it for so long.

Tsunade sighed. "Many things. The boy was pronounced dead ten minutes after we got him to the hospital. Naruto... I'm sorry to ask you this, but we need to know what happened, for the records."

Said Jinchuuriki stared at the ceiling for a moment. _'Give me strength... strength to tell your tale.' _He sighed. "It's a long story, but officially it begins two weeks ago, when Sasuke was still in the hospital because of his little meeting with Itachi..."

---

_**Sarah: And that's the end of the first chapter! So what do you think? Good? Bad? Awesome? (Oh, please be so!) **_

_**Jackie: We have this story plotted out a loooooooong way in advance, and I think this'll be our longest fic yet! Yes, we have been working some more on Blood Moon Rising, and the update will be up...now! In the meantime, Read and Review, folks!**_

_**Sarah: Price check on prune juice, Bob, price check on prune juice! (By the way, JK Rulez is an amazing authoress. If you like Danny Phantom, or Kim Possible, definitely check her out!)**_


	2. Chapter 2: While You Were Sleeping

Title: Second Chances

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Rating: T for violence and language. May change in the future.

Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Full Summary: The remaining member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, which the depressed boy seizes immeadietly, though not before receiving a rather unique 'present' from the other Sannin.

---

_**Jackie: Welcome to the second installment of Second Chances!**_

_**Sarah: Yay! The response we got for the first chapter was amazing! Thank you all so VERY much for your wonderful reviews!**_

_**Jackie: Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, being compared to something as good as 'Never Cut Twice'? (Awesome fic, by the way, go read it if you get the chance) Anyways, there are some startling revelations ahead of us, so without further adieu, here is chapter two!**_

---

The Hospital

---

Tsunade took off the restraints to allow Naruto to sit up, and so he began. He began to tell the tale, of how Sasuke had challenged him to a fight on the hospital roof, of how he'd been recruited to help drag the boy back home, of how he'd sent a group of Kage Bunshin ahead to protect the group and scout ahead, and how Chouji, Neji, and Kiba had split off from the group to defeat the various members of the Sound Four. He continued, explaining how Shikamaru stayed behind to take care of Tayuya and he had continued after Sasuke, who'd been taken on by Kimimaro. He told of the scuffle they'd had, and how Naruto had gone ahead after the escaped Sasuke when Lee came onto the scene.

After a brief pause in which Naruto collected himself, he began to describe how he'd tried to get Sasuke to return, of the boy's blatant refusal, and how Naruto had sworn to bring him back, even if he had to break every bone in Sasuke's body. Sasuke had responded by taking a kunai and carving a line through the leaf on his hitai-ate.

"The battle began, with me basically punching him over and over, and Sasuke doing nothing to stop me. He smirked and said that I wasn't good enough to use his Sharingan on. I got really mad and got serious, using every jutsu I could think of to bring him down. I even started to tap into Kyuubi's chakra. Sasuke did have to use his Sharingan because of that. He caught me on top of the river and used his Chidori to blast a hole in my chest. And then I really got into Kyuubi's chakra. I think I might have grown a tail at that point. Sasuke was forced to use the Cursed Seal then. But-" Naruto said with a faint smile,

"I was too good for him. So, he went into what I think he called 'Level Two'. His eyes and skin changed colour, and his hair, which grew a lot longer, too. Then he sprouted wings and we used our best attacks. He used Chidori, but the Cursed Seal messed with his chakra and his chidori was black and white. I used Rasengan, but Kyuubi's chakra mixed with mine to make it purple. We jumped across the river and attacked, but at the last second, Sasuke... he hesitated. It was like he really knew what was going on for the first time. He was aiming for a killing move, but he moved his arm so he wouldn't hurt me that badly. I didn't know what was going on. After our attacks hit, we both fell down onto the ground by the river. Then I blacked out."

Naruto stopped and stared at the hospital sheets, clenching his fists. He closed his eyes for a minutes, then continued, with a somewhat shaky voice. "When I woke up, I looked up and saw Sasuke back to normal. Well, as normal as you can be when you're dead." He closed his eyes again and grimaced at the painful memory, then said quietly, "And m-my arm...it was s-still stuck.. th-through h-his chest."

Tsunade, who'd remained silent throughout the entire story, froze. Chills went up and down her spine. She'd just barely gotten over her fear of blood, and this gory tale was almost too much for her to handle. Tsunade forced away the gruesome mental image and opened her mouth to try and say something comforting to the poor boy, but before she could, Naruto resumed the story.

"I can't think of how I got out of that. I remember, hours later, just sitting in the woods and staring at my arm, at his blood. I ripped off the sleeve of my jacket and used it to start a fire and burn off the skin. I couldn't think of any other way to get rid of it. Then I picked up Sasuke and started walking back to the village. I don't remember much after that, though."

Naruto suddenly fell back against the bed, as if exhausted by the telling of the story. Tsunade's heart went out to him. She sighed. _'It isn't fair. This boy shouldn't have to bear so many tragedies. I don't think I can bear to tell him..'_

Suddenly, Naruto's voice broke the silence. "How is Sakura-chan taking the news?" he asked, voice strained.

Tsunade winced. That was the question she'd been hoping he wouldn't ask. "N-Naruto.. she isn't taking it."

The boy looked up at her with such confusion. "What do you mean? Sakura-chan's in denial?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her pale blonde hair. "Naruto, I'm sorry.. Yesterday, we released the news of Sasuke's death... and this morning, Sakura was found in her bedroom, and.." Tsunade forced herself to go on, for his sake, "she had hung herself."

Naruto nearly stopped breathing. For a full minute, he stared, wide eyed, into the ceiling. He nearly didn't hear the rest of Tsunade's message. "Her note explained that Sasuke was the only reason for her existence, and since she couldn't see him in this world, she would in the next." There was a pause, then a sigh. "Naruto, I'm so sorry."

The boy closed his eyes for a moment. "You shouldn't be the one sorry." He nearly whispered. "And Kakashi-sensei? How did he take it? He didn't kill himself, too, did he?" Naruto said, half-sarcastic.

Tsunade shook her head. "He went after you and Sasuke, trying to help the mission. Apparently he and Lee faced off against Kimimaro together... or separately. We aren't sure."

Naruto's stomach sank. He had a horrible feeling he knew what was coming next.

"A squad of ANBU went to find out what happened after no one returned. They found the bodies of Kakashi, Lee, and Kimimaro." Tsunade said solemnly, staring at Naruto for a reaction.

He did react, but no in the way Tsunade expected. Naruto sat bolt upright. "What do you mean, no one?" _'Oh no... did I let that slip out?'_ Tsunade thought frantically. "Shikamaru would have made sure everyone got back! Neji and Kiba are too stubborn and definitely not stupid enough to sit around in the woods waiting for the others after beating those freaks! Chouji is tough enough to take anything they had to throw at them and more!"

Tsunade had a pained look on her face. "Naruto, I was planning on telling you when you were in a more... stable condition."

"Tell me what?"

Tsunade was silent.

"WHAT! WHAT IS IT!" Naruto bellowed, fear growing in his eyes.

She sighed. "Naruto.. the ANBU squad also found the bodies of two Oto-nin, four Konoha-nin, and a small dog. Our ninja were identified as Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Akamaru."

As she listed the victims, Naruto's worst fears were confirmed. "Naruto, there's something else you should know.. we hired a team from Suna to help out with the mission. But they were delayed, and if they had gotten there in time, the body count would have been more on the Oto side."

Naruto stared at his sheets, pulling on them so tightly the fibers were strained to their limits. "What was it that delayed them." _'I swear, if it was a run back to grab a spare kunai, I'll-'_

Tsunade just looked at him. "They reported... that they ran into an ambush.. set by... a large group of Kage Bunshin. They were yours, Naruto." She ended softly, realizing how horrible this simple talk had gone.

He simply closed his eyes and turned away. Tsunade took that as a signal that she should leave. As she got up and headed for the door, she could swear she heard the boy crying.

---

Ichiraku Ramen

---

A week had passed since Naruto and Tsunade had had their little chat. The report had been filed, families informed, and funerals held, all of which Naruto had attended. He would stay hidden in the shadows and wait until everyone else had left before paying his own respects to them and dropping his own flower into the graves of his friends and comrades, a single yellow foxglove.

Needless to say, it wasn't a very good time to be an instructor. Asuma and Kurenai had simply combined their teams, while TenTen had gone solo and was seeking private instruction from one Mitarashi Anko, as Gai had gone into mourning for the loss of his 'brilliant pupil who burned so brightly with the flames of youth', or some such nonsense.

Iruka, meanwhile, was still in shock from losing over half of his graduating class. He wanted desperately to talk to Naruto about what had happened, but the boy was nowhere to be found. He had waited all day at Ichiraku, just waiting for his favourite blonde to show up, but he hadn't yet and it was nearing the store's close. It was strange, not having him around to just show his smiling face and laugh together about his recent antics on a mission.

He sighed and rested his chin on his fist. "I could really use some cheering up right now." he muttered, causing the old man who ran Ichiraku to look up and ask if Iruka was talking to anyone in particular.

"Not anyone who's here right now." He replied, paying his bill and walking out with his hands in his pockets. The Chuunin stared at the night sky and let his feet take him. He wandered a long ways, and eventually wound up at the stone monument on which were engraved the names of all ninja KIA. Recently, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, Neji, Lee, and Kakashi had been added to the stone.

Iruka walked closer and sighed softly, remembering how Kakashi had had come to this stone every day to mourn his fallen friend, Uchiha Obito. It was pathetic, the excuses he'd come up with to explain why he was late. Most people assumed Kakashi would simply stay up too late reading Icha Icha Paradise and then oversleep, but a few people knew the sad truth.

As Iruka walked, he saw a figure staring at the north side of the monument. When he drew nearer, he realized it was none other then Naruto. He was no longer wearing the jacket to his trademark orange jump suit, but instead just wearing the black shirt and a pair of navy pants that Iruka wasn't even aware he had owned. His hitai-ate was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto stared down at the monument, his fingers tracing the names for what seemed to be the millionth time. When Iruka approached, he heard the boy speak, how ever softly. "You know, I don't think it was even a year ago when I told Kakashi that I would get my name on the stone... and he beat me to it." His voice was oddly distant. It had Iruka worried.

"Naruto.." he said, reaching out a hand to touch the boy. But he shied away from the contact, instead merely looking up at Iruka. His eyes were so cold, so empty, so hopeless, as if the fire inside them had died out. It was heartbreaking to see. Iruka shivered involuntarily and felt as though the cold in the boy's eyes had transferred to him. He was frozen by the look, and could only watch, helpless, as Naruto jumped into the trees and far away.

---

_**Sarah: Aww... poor Naruto-kun.**_

_**Jackie: Yes yes, you think he's sad now? We haven't insulted, degraded, or lowered him nearly enough! **_

_**Sarah: Ooh, I feel evil. Let's go write the next chapter!**_

_**Jackie: Sleep first. It's way too late. z.Z**_


	3. Chapter 3: Much Ado About Nothing

Title: Second Chances

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Rating: T for violence and language. May change in the future.

Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Full Summary: The remaining member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, which the depressed boy seizes immeadietly, though not before receiving a rather unique 'present' from the other Sannin.

---

_**Sarah: Umm... I can't think of anything to say.**_

_**Jackie: Well, that'd be a first.**_

_**Sarah: Hey!**_

_**Jackie: Anyways, here we go with Chapter Three. Enjoy!**_

---

The Hokage's Office

---

Tsunade rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. The bright sunlight outside didn't help, either. "So, you're saying you want to take Naruto away on one of your trips?"

"Right." Jiraiya answered, folding his arms across his chest.

"And you won't be back for three years?"

"Right."

"Absolutely not."

"Ri- What?"

Tsunade looked sternly at Jiraiya. "This is a very delicate point of time in Naruto's life as a ninja. He has to learn to accept that people die or he'll never be able to function, both as a shinobi and as a person. Besides, I'm still not even sure if he's fully healed yet."

Jiraiya slammed his hand down on Tsunade's desk. "Don't give me that! He has to be taken out of this environment! If you thought the way the villagers treated him before was bad, you should see it now! People don't even try to hide their hate for him! They shout their insults as he passes by, pull their children away, close shops up, lock doors and windows! They despise him! Naruto can't stay here! This village is choking him!"

She stood up, staring at him square in the eye. "Are you trying to make me seem like the bad guy in this situation, Jiraiya? I care about him as much as you do! If he goes with you, you'll drag him along on your little 'research' missions and have him join you in the red-light districts as soon as he's old enough! I will not have you destroy this impressionable boy!"

"Don't turn this around on me!"

"Oh, but you went first!"

"Old hag!" Jiraiya shouted.

"Pervert!" Tsunade yelled back.

It was then they both heard the knock on the door. It swung open, revealing a very uncomfortable looking Naruto. "Umm, I can come back if you're busy.." he said, turning to go.

Jiraiya straightened and moved away. "No, that's fine. I was just leaving." he said, voice cold. He walked through the door with not so much as a glance backwards.

Tsunade snorted and sat back in her chair. She rested her forehead on her knuckles and sighed. "What can I do for you, Naruto?" Tsunade asked, feeling slightly drained from the shouting match.

Naruto sat down in the chair in front of her desk, shifting slightly. "Hokage-sama... I have a favour to ask you."

She looked up, slightly surprised. Tsunade had never heard Naruto call her by her title before. "What is it?"

The boy took a deep breath before starting. "I've heard of your reputation as a medic-nin. I know you've come up with medicines and medical jutsus that can do nearly anything, even bring someone back from the brink of death. I need a medicine that can erase my memory."

She looked up. "W-What?"

He looked at her, his dulled blue eyes seeming to pierce her through to her very soul. "You heard me. I need a medicine that can erase my memory."

Tsunade broke eye contact and stood up, beginning to pace the floor. "I have a jutsu that will do that.. but- why?"

"I can't live with these memories, Hokage-sama. At night, I can see their faces... like their real, right there with me. During the day, I see their friends and family members, and they know I was the reason those people died. And... I-I just can't deal with it." Naruto finished.

The Hokage sighed and looked down, and started to say something, when-

**BANG!**

The door burst open and a very upset Sannin stood in the doorway. Jiraiya crossed the threshold and strode over to Naruto. He grabbed him by his collar and lifted him until they were at eye level. "I could." he snarled.

"You think you're the first person who's had to kill on missions? You think that just because people have been hurt by your hand- not only enemies, but friends, too- that you can just forget everything and move on?"

Naruto turned to Tsunade and said quietly, "Hokage-sama... I'm sorry, but if you don't perform the jutsu, I will kill myself. That's the plain and simple truth. I already know how to stop Kyuubi's chakra from healing me."

"You're damned selfish, that's what you are! Life will go on for other people, don't you care about them? Don't you care about us? Give me one good reason why you should be allowed to kill yourself?" Jiraiya said, voice strong and clear.

"I can give you ten." Naruto replied. " Hatake Kakashi,Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru, Rock Lee, and Hyuuga Neji."

"Listen, Naruto, and listen well." Jiraiya said softly, then yelled, "People die! It happens! You get over it and keep going! If had her perform the jutsu, what do you think would happen to the rest of us? People still suffer by your actions!"

The boy stared unblinkingly at the older man. "I honestly don't care anymore, Jiraiya. I only wish I could change what happened, but it's over with. I can't change my past, but I can end my future." He finished quietly.

Tsunade had remained silent through most of this, trying to absorb the entire conversation, and then it finally hit. "Naruto! You can't do that! I-I'll put the jutsu on you, but you just can't kill yourself!" she began, rushing over and taking the boy from Jiraiya's grasp.

It was a good thing, too. Jiraiya was just about to drop him. The older man had frozen in place, staring at the wall. "'Change my past...'" he murmured, and a rush of memories flew at him.

Suddenly, Jiraiya pumped a fist in the air. "Hah hah! I did it! I figured out how to prevent all this from happening!" He yelled triumphantly. Jiraiya whirled and grabbed Naruto by both shoulders. "Naruto! You said you wished you could change what happened, right? Well you can!"

The boy looked up. "What are you talking about?" he asked wearily.

"Oh, don't give me that. We have come up with techniques that can do practically anything, even summon the Death God to seal away souls! Of course there would be some ninja who would tamper with time jutsus! And I happen to be one of them!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Years ago, I perfected a jutsu that would allow me to go back in time exactly seven years!"

Tsunade frowned. "Why seven?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I figured especially you would know about the importance of lucky numbers."

Naruto looked up, eyes shining, but then shook his head. "It wouldn't work. Even if I could go back, I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Every time I looked at someone, I'd see their future self. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on saving Sasuke and the others if I kept seeing their dead faces."

Tsunade smiled. "That's why I would put the jutsu on you. With a clean start, you could do anything you needed."

Naruto shook his head again. "But still, then I wouldn't remember what to do. It's hopeless."

Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Well, there is one way..."

The other Sannin looked to him questioningly.

"Surely Tsunade's technique, no matter how strong, wouldn't be able to wipe the memory of a thousands-of-years old demon. Naruto, could you talk to your... occupant?"

By then, his eyes had already closed, a sure sign he was no longer with them.

---

Inside Naruto's Mindscape

---

"Kyuubi?" Naruto asked, picking himself out of the dirty water.

**"What is it now, brat?"**

Naruto nearly flinched under the red-eyed stare. "I need a favour."

**"Don't blame me. You're the one who blocked my chakra. It's your problem when you can't heal yourself."**

"That's not it. I'm going to go back in time... to try and fix the past. To stop Sasuke from defecting."

**"Well, what do you want? A medal?"**

"To be able to do this right, I need to forget this timeline. But then, I wouldn't be able to remember what to do. Kyuubi... would you help me to fix the past? I know the technique Tsunade would use to wipe my memory wouldn't affect you."

**"Flattery is not your strength, brat. Why would I do that?"**

"Well, you're always saying that I'm a weak container, unworthy of you, right?"

**"Of course. It's the truth. I'm amazed you were even able to kill that Uchiha"**

"Well, you could train me into becoming a better, worthier container."

Kyuubi appeared to consider this, and watching the fox ponder was one of the most interesting things Naruto had ever seen.

**"You make a good point, kit. One that serves you more then me, but how would you know that I wouldn't use you to escape the seal once you forget everything?"**

Naruto looked up at the large beast. "I guess I'll just have to trust you."

The giant fox looked down at Naruto for a few minutes, then burst out laughing.

**"You caught me in a good mood, brat. I'll do it. Anything specific you want changed?"**

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Kyuubi. This means so much to me."

---

Outside

---

While Naruto was conversing with Kyuubi and the two Konoha Sannin waited, there were another pair of eyes watching, unbeknownst to them. Two pairs, actually.

"So, Naruto-kun is going to go back and stop himself from killing Sasuke-kun, hmm? Well, as much as I want that to happen, I have an easier way of making that happen. Kabuto!"

The medic-nin looked up. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"We're going to have to step in before the situation escalates beyond our influence."

"Yes, sir." With that, the pair disappeared from view.

---

_**Sarah: The first appearance of all three Sannin, the first appearance of the Kyuubi, and the plan unveiled! Sorta... i.T**_

_**Jackie: Uh-huh. This chapter pretty much is, all filler, no killer.**_

**_Sarah: Yeah. Both chapters were posted today because I'm going on vacation this week and won't be able to write or anything! Luv ya gotta go bye!_**

_**Jackie: And that's the game! Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of Second Chances!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Of Mishaps and Memories

Title: Second Chances

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Rating: T for violence and language. May change in the future.

Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Full Summary: The remaining member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, which the depressed boy seizes immeadietly, though not before receiving a rather unique 'present' from the other Sannin.

---

_**Jackie: So, ready for the next chappie?**_

_**Sarah: More then! We've prolonged this one enough times.**_

_**Jackie: Oh, but those scenes were necessary!**_

_**Sarah: Maybe so, but the real action starts NOW!**_

---

The Hokage Monument

---

"Are you ready?" Tsunade asked her young friend. It was the middle of the night, the perfect time to send Naruto back. No one was around to see, and if two people appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the daytime, people would freak out. Jiraiya had decided to accompany Naruto on his journey through time, just so that the boy would have one person to turn to in a time of need.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Naruto replied, shivering in the cold night air. He was clothed, of course, but he was wearing the oldest, smallest outfit in his closet. His five year old body would look awful strange wearing a twelve-year-old's ninja clothes.

Tsunade looked to Jiraiya and nodded. As Jiraiya started the lengthy series of hand seals required for the series, Tsunade gave the boy a sad smile. "Naruto, there's one last thing you should know. The day you returned... the day we found out about the other ninja in your mission, it was October Tenth. Your thirteenth birthday." She began to form seals as well. "So I guess this is our last birthday gift to you... Naruto-kun. Goodbye, and good luck." Tsunade gave the boy one last smile before she cried out, "_Kokoro Waipu no Jutsu_! (Mind Wipe Technique)"

In the instant before her jutsu took hold of the blonde Jinchuuriki, Naruto saw a snake-like person appear behind the Hokage. "Happy Birthday." it sneered, then cried out, "_Chimeiteki Kyojaku no Jutsu! _(Fatal Weakness Technique)"

Before Naruto could cry out, two bright flashes surrounded him and clouded his vision. The last thing he would recall in this timeline was a strong male voice calling, "_Shichi Bai: Hitotoki Gyakuten no Jutsu! _(Seven Times: Time Reversal Technique)"

Then everything went black.

---

He was falling, falling. Deep into the heart of a swirling tornado of possibilities, thoughts, events, and circumstances that never happened. So many things didn't occur. He reverse-met people, fell out of love, lost a purpose, and all the while, he dropped

His body was changing... what was happening? He was tall a moment ago, now he was tiny! Suddenly, there was a staggering pain inside his head.What was going on? What was it?"Haaaaaaaa!" He screamed, and then his vision faded, as did his memory.

---

Inside the boy's Mindscape

---

Kyuubi felt the jutsu pulling at his own mind, but he merely shook it off and concentrated on staying focused as the different seals appeared on the other side of the bars. A pale green seal appeared in front of the wall on the opposite side of the hallway from the Kyuubi. And strangely enough, a black seal appeared on the floor. Kyuubi studied it for a moment, then shrugged it off as a side effect of the pervert's technique.

He settled in for a nap. It would be a while before he needed to step in.

---

Outside

---

Jiraiya bent down and picked up the fallen boy in front of him. He straightened and began to jump over rooftops, headed towards the chosen place, slowly beginning to mask his chakra signature so as not to alert any particularly keen ninja. The 'chosen place' was an alley outside a bar near the Hokage's office. It was nearing dawn and things were going as he had planned so far.

Sandaime Hokage, after waking from his daily nap on his desk in the morning, would go for his usual walk around the block to fully awaken. When he drew near, Jiraiya would use Henge to make himself look like a cat, then make some noise to draw the attention of the Hokage, then run away as soon as Naruto was noticed.

About an hour later, Kitty-Jiraiya skirted out of the alley, purring at his own brilliance.

---

Sarutobi rushed forward. "Naruto!" he cried out in shock. The small boy was lying in a pile of garbage bags, groaning slightly. Evidently, he was just beginning to wake. "Naruto, are you alright?" He asked, looking concernedly down at the child.

The boy shifted and picked himself up. He looked at himself in wonder, then swooned and crumpled, falling to the ground heavily.

"Naruto!"

---

At the Hospital

---

Sarutobi paced angrily in the boy's room, waiting for him to wake up. He had pieced together the puzzle hours ago. Some drunk must have ran into Naruto in the street and beat him into submission, then tossed aside the body of the poor boy. _'Ah, Yondaime, what would you think of your legacy now?'_ Sarutobi thought, shaking his head.

All of a sudden, the boy began to move. He grimaced and turned on his side, then the other way. His eyes burst open. The boy sat up abruptly, then grabbed his head, moaning slightly.

"Naruto!" Sarutobi cried, crossing the room to the boy's bedside."How are you feeling?"

The boy closed his eyes. "My... head hurts." he grunted, then turned to the Hokage. They stared at each other for a minute, then the boy looked down. "Where am I? Umm... do I know you?"

Sarutobi looked at him for a minute. "You're at the hospital, and of course you do. I'm the Hokage! Listen, Naruto, we need to know who attacked you so that we can-"

At this point, the blonde interrupted nervously, "What's a Hokage?"

The older man sighed. "Naruto, this is no time for games. We have to find out who it is that attacked you."

"I was attacked?"

Sarutobi wrinkled his brow. "I'm serious, Naruto. Now, who attacked you?"

"I don't remember.." the boy said, scratching the back of his head and looking down.

He sighed again. "Did you get a good look at whoever it was?"

The boy looked up, a pleading look on his young face. "I don't know! I don't remember! I don't remember anything!"

_'Oh, no..'_ Sarutobi thought, a terrible idea growing in his mind. "Naruto, tell me, what day is your birthday?"

"I don't know! I don't even know who I am!" The boy said, on the verge of panic.

Sandaime sighed and walked over to the boy, putting his hand on his shoulder. "You are Uzumaki Naruto. You just turned six a little over a week ago. I am the Sandaime Hokage, leader of the ninja village Konohagurake, where we are right now. More specifically, the Konoha General Hospital, where they treat civilians and ninja alike.."

With that, Sarutobi began to do his best to answer the boy's questions, making sure he wouldn't be completely oblivious to reality as part of the medical staff entered the room, and, at the Hokage's request, examined Naruto again for signs both inside and outside of physical abuse.

Interestingly enough, the boy had some rather shocking scars on his abdomen and left arm. Whoever had attacked him must have done quite a job to inflict wounds that bad. But Naruto was tougher then he looked. He must have healed himself overnight, leaving naught but the scars as reminders that he had ever been wounded.

Try as they might to find the source of the boy's sudden amnesia, the doctors could only find evidence of a minor concussion, which had seemingly healed itself. After running a significant amount of tests on the poor boy, they came up with nothing else. They did, however, discover some irregularities in Naruto's various systems. Ishikawa Yori, the doctor who had been placed in charge of Naruto, took Sarutobi into a side room, where he took out a variety of x-rays and charts.

Yori first pointed to an overall x-ray of a human boy. "This is the normal human skeleton, as it is supposed to be, for a boy of six." He pointed to another, which looked very unusual, even to one not trained in medicine. It was the same structure, yes, but something looked wrong about it. "This is the boy's. As you can see, there are numerous irregularities about it, mainly the overall size deficiency of his bones. Also, his are frailer then they should be. I don't know how he grew, but something has made him... less strong then he should be."

Sarutobi looked at a chart comparing Naruto's muscle system to a normal child's, sighing at the differences. "So you mean.."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. He'll live in constant danger of injury, even as a normal citizen. If he is to enter the ninja academy, as you wish him to, then he could be in and out of hospitals for the rest of his life. The fact is, the boy isn't strong enough to do it."

Yori looked through a glass window at Naruto, who'd had no small number of tubes and needles inserted into him, trying to figure out what was happening. He had moved to Konoha a few years after the Kyuubi's attack, and thus hadn't suffered anything from the demon. The stories he'd heard from the other nurses and doctors, however, had almost made him expect the demon itself to be waiting for treatment, not a small boy.

"Hokage-sama.. there's something else." He hesitated for a second, then continued on. "The boy... he is diseased."

Sarutobi looked up in confusion.

"I don't know what to make of it. There is a virus of some kind infecting him, slowly eating away at his insides, destroying what should become his muscle structure. I have never seen this kind of thing before, and hope I won't see it again." Yori said, sighing. "This kind of disease is not contagious, but it might have been hereditary."

That last comment hung in the air for the moment. Could Naruto's parents had this disease as well? Sarutobi had never noticed this in the boy's father, and he had known the man personally. Once or twice he had met Naruto's mother, and again, he hadn't noticed anything such as this.

"Hokage-sama.." Yori started, then halted. "Unless something unforeseen happens, I do not believe that the boy will be strong enough to live past the age of ten."

--

_**Sarah: Wah hah hah!**_

_**Jackie: Yes, this chapter has been delayed a lot. But we has reasoning! And it's good! ...sort of..**_

_**Sarah: I was on vacation. While in South Cal, we went to Disneyland. There were awesome fireworks, really cool rides, a guy with hair that looked exactly like Edo-kun's, and pirates. Oh, so many pirates. I bought a pirate hat, a skull necklace, an eyepatch, and some fake pirate earrings. . I'm almost totally broke now.**_

_**Jackie: I had school prep. There were many days of orientation and lots of "schedule drama", as Sarah so eloquently puts it. Two weeks ago Monday was my first day of classes, and I've been in school for a while now. Fun, eh?**_

_**Sarah: Yeah, I had school start last week. HIGH SCHOOL! WOO!**_

_**Jackie: Ehm.. that's not something to be excited about..**_

_**Sarah: All in all, it's been a busy fortnight. But now, with out new schedules planned out, we'll be writing on the weekends and during school breaks, so that should be helping things along. **_

_**ALSO! Has anyone besides me heard Vic's (voice of Edward Elric from FullMetal Alchemist) CD? He has an AMAZING voice and plays the piano so very awesomely. X3 I'm going to be starting a story... uh... now.. and the first chapter is based off of a song of his. It'll be confusing from the start, I promise. .**_

_**Jackie: Okay. That's enough talk from us. Read and review, folks!**_


	5. Chapter 5: Home Again, Home Again

Title: Second Chances

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Rating: T for violence and language. May change in the future.

Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Full Summary: The remaining member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, which the depressed boy seizes immeadietly, though not before receiving a rather unique 'present' from the other Sannin.

---

Naruto's Apartment Complex

---

The Hokage pushed open the door. A loud 'cree-ee-eeak ' emanated from the rusty hinges. Light spilled into the apartment, giving Naruto the first glimpse into his pitiful excuse for a living space.

The apartment was damp and dirty, with bugs crawling in and out of empty ramen cups lying forgotten on the floor. The dull yellow wallpaper was peeling and the dingy windows cracked. A horrible stench leaked from the still-partly-open refrigerator.

Naruto shied behind the older man. "This is where I lived?" He asked, confused about how anyone could live in this dump and slightly afraid at the prospect.

Sarutobi nodded. "You go inside and try to get some rest, Naruto-chan. I'll be here tomorrow morning." With that, he handed him the key and turned to leave, then, with a discreet glance at the blonde, apologized for not being able to stay. He walked away, footsteps echoing in Naruto's psyche.

The little blonde blinked and walking inside. "I can't believe I was so messy." He mumbled, then sighed. The only way he would survive living here would be to clean up his -for lack of a better word- home.

This he began immeadietly, finding never-touched bottles of cleaning liquids under he kitchen sink and a few not-too-filthy orange rags in the bedroom. Naruto worked long and hard on making the apartment tidy. When he finally finished, his skin was terribly puckered and he stank of bleach. Tired and slightly upset, Naruto staggered to his bedroom and fell, fully clothed, onto his freshly made bed. He was unconscious before his face hit the pillow.

His dreams were few and far between. Naruto caught small flashes of light and occasional words, but nothing made sense. At one point in the night, he woke in fear, believing there was someone else in the room with him. But after looking around and seeing no one, he went back to sleep and didn't wake till dawn.

With the rise of the sun came the arrival of the Hokage. The old man knocked twice, then let himself in. Sarutobi marveled at the changes. "You certainly have been busy, Naruto-chan." He muttered.

Said boy walked into the main room, rubbing at his eyes. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama."

He returned the greeting then clapped a hand around the boy's shoulders, leading him to the kitchen table. Sarutobi sat him down and took from the inside of his robes a pad of paper and a box of crayons. "I want you to draw me a picture, Naruto-chan." He said, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside the child.

"A picture?" Naruto ask quizzically, staring at the unfamiliar items blankly.

The Hokage nodded back. "That's right."

"But... what should I draw?"

Pausing for a moment to think, Sarutobi finally answered, "Anything. Anything at all. Draw something that you remember." He folded his hands and set them out on the table, then began to wait.

For a minute, there was silence. Then Naruto picked up a black crayon and held it above the paper, a slight frown on his face. After a time, he set to work. His unsure grip on the crayon, in addition to his constant biting of the lower lip and grimace made it clear that whoever Naruto was before he lost his memory, he sure wasn't an artist.

As time passed, a picture began to emerge from his unsteady hand. It was a man, with shaggy brown hair and glasses, wearing a Konoha hitai-ate. Sarutobi let out a disappointed sigh as he recognized Dr. Ishikawa.

Chastising himself for expecting something great in just one night, he rested his forehead against his palm. "That's.. very nice, Naruto-chan. Why don't we hang it up on the wall, then get something to eat?" He said in a somewhat strangled voice.

Naruto shifted in his chair and nodded uncomfortably. Had he done something wrong? Why was the Hokage upset? He bit his lip and stood up, taking his drawing over to the north wall in the main room, where Sarutobi took it and pinned it up carefully He didn't want to spoil the sketch... or pin his finger into the wall.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, as did the week. Sarutobi would come over in the mornings and have Naruto draw a new picture every day, but it would always turn out to be something typical. By Thursday of the week after Naruto had gotten out of the hospital, he was drawings of himself, the Hokage, an empty cup of Ramen (which he'd taken to like a fish to water), the view out the kitchen window, a dark-haired mother and daughter who had passed by once upon a time, his bedroom, and, of course, Dr. Ishikawa.

Each picture he drew and re-drew after Sarutobi left, and eventually Naruto became quite skilled with the crayons. Sarutobi wouldn't let him leave the apartment for some odd reason, so they would spend the entire morning, from seven until noon, together.

After the picture was finished, the Hokage would take out a large book and teach Naruto something. Reading, writing, and maths were only the tip of the iceberg. He also taught the boy about Konoha's history, of the various clans, important people, and the many jobs the villagers did to keep Konoha a thriving ninja village.

Being a ninja seemed to fascinate little Naruto, and though Sarutobi tried to dissuade the him, it was all Naruto wanted to do. Eventually, however, the truth would have to come out. And on this very special Thursday, it would all begin..

The doorbell rang and Naruto ran to get his, his bare feet padding against the linoleum floor. He opened the door to see the Hokage's smiling face. Naruto grinned back. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama!" His cheerful voice rang out.

"Ohayou, Naruto-chan." Together they walked to the kitchen table, where Naruto was forced to hastily clear away the remnants of his breakfast.

"What should I draw you today, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, sitting down beside the older man when he had finished. He picked up the black crayon expectantly.

Furrowing his brow with thought, Sarutobi replied, "I don't know. Draw me something big-"

And at that moment, everything changed. The old man's voice changed from low and grating to deep and rumbling, the voice of a giant. Naruto had changed, become older. He was wearing an orange and blue jump suit and standing on uneven redish-black ground. The voice continued urgently, "-something big, with fang and claws!"

At that second, a vibrant, vivid picture flashed into Naruto's mind. For five whole seconds, it was all he could see. Then his vision quickly faded to black, as if something was saying, 'No, you shouldn't look at that.' But that last thing he heard was his own voice bellow, "Henge no Jutsu!"

---

When he came to, Naruto noticed three things. One, he was lying on the floor. Two, his head hurt like someone had hit it with.. something large and heavy that you hit people with. Three, someone was shaking him profusely and calling his name.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly and looked up into the frantic face of the Hokage. The boy groaned and put a hand to his forehead.

"You're awake!" Sarutobi said relievedly, gently sliding a hand under the boy's back to sit the small boy up. "Are you alright, Naruto-chan? What happened?"

As those words were spoken, however, his pain began to fade. After a second, he was able to think clearly. "Actually.. yeah." Naruto said, slightly breathless. He stood up and wobbled for a moment, then sat down in the chair again as he recalled the vision. "I remember something!" He exclaimed, then set to work drawing with a vigour he had never before possessed.

This wasn't like his other pictures, which were merely interpretations of images he had seen. No, this drawing was the _exact picture_, identical to what Naruto had seen. And what a drawing it was! It was a gigantic fox, with nine sweeping tails and eyes of fire. It glared at it's viewer, tails waving back and forth tauntingly. Grinning at the viewer, an 'I'm-going-to-eat-you-and-spit-out-your-bones' grin, the fearsome fox's image was slightly blurred with a red-orange mist. It might have seemed like fire to a casual observer, but to one who had actually seen the beast, it was chakra.

Sarutobi's hand rose to cover his open mouth. He had expected that the Kyuubi had a hand.. her, paw, in Naruto's spontaneous healing, but to actually see it was another matter entirely. It was enough to give a man of his age a heart attack.

Naruto looked upon his drawing with pride. He turned to the Hokage for approval, but finding none, looked back down at his picture. His smile faded as he realized he had no idea what it was. "Umm... what is it?"

Shaking himself out of reverie, Sarutobi picked up the boy's work. "This is the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the demon that plagued our village six years ago. It caused typhoons, earthquakes, and incredible damage to our entire country. It killed most of our strongest ninja. In fact, it all but wiped out the Nanasaki and Yamanaka clans.

"Finally, Yondaime Hokage was able to s-kill the demon, but he died in the process. I was brought out of retirement as his replacement. We, the village, are still trying to get over the attack. Some people can not let go the past.." Sarutobi finished with a bit of a sigh, staring at him with the same pity that he had had when he'd first laid eyes on the Jinchuuriki child.

Not seeming to notice the falter in the older man's voice, Naruto opened his mouth to form a silent 'oh'. For a moment he was quiet, but then he piped up, "Then why did I draw it?"

Another sigh. "I have no idea, Naruto-chan." An awkward silence followed this, lasting until Sarutobi pulled himself together. "I have some business to attend to, so I'll have to leave early. Until tomorrow, Naruto-chan." He stood up and walked to the door, then nodded in parting and made his exit.

Confused as ever, Naruto frowned and picked up his drawing. He studied it for a minute, then walked over to the wall and began to pin it up in the center. As he pushed in the last tack, however, he felt something warm drop onto his left arm.

"Hmm?" Naruto wondered aloud, then looked down to see his own blood trickling down his upper arm. He touched his face and felt the same warmth. Slightly afraid, the small boy ran to the bathroom and, standing on a step stool, looked into the mirror. He has a nosebleed, a relatively minor one.

"Huh?"

---

_**Jackie: We'll leave you on that happy, yet confusing note.**_

_**Sarah: -pines at the screen- High school sucks! It takes up every day! One second it's time for school, the next it's time to sleep again! I barely get any time on the weekend to recuperate!**_

_**Jackie: Yes, I'm sure that's very interesting. Now, get working on the next chapter!**_

_**Sarah: -whimpers-**_

_**Jackie: Oh, and before I forget, here's a review response we gave for a little clarification.**_

Causeimbetta: Not one of the Sannin detected Orochimaru's presence? Not even Kyuubi and Naruto's heightened senses?

---

Jackie: You'd think one of them would have done that, huh? But no, not really.

See, the way we have it now, the jutsus Tsunade and Jiraiya are performing take intense concentration. If their attention wanders, something really bad might happen. Like Naruto's mind exploding. Or him being sent back seven hundred years.

Also, Orochimaru was under a powerful genjutsu. He revealed himself momentarily, just because he could. Wouldn't you? That's what was meant by 'appeared', if that wasn't clear.

Kyuubi, meanwhile, does not know what is going on in Naruto's world. He has no window to see outside, so the only way he can find out such things is if Naruto is tapping into Kyuubi's power or talking to him directly.

And Naruto doesn't have heightened senses... not yet anyways.

_**Jackie: So.. yeah. Until whenever we update again! ii"**_


	6. Chapter 6: Out and About

Title: Keshite! RIRAITO Shite!

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Rating: T for violence and language. May change in the future.

Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Full Summary: The remaining member of Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, goes to Tsunade for a medicine that will make him forget. She gives it to him as a birthday gift. Jiraiya gives him the oppourtunity to go back and change his past, which the depressed boy seizes immeadietly, though not before receiving a rather unique 'present' from the other Sannin.

---

**Sarah: ZOMGNESS I hate school!**

**Jackie: I believe you ranted about this last time..**

**Sarah: I know, but it's so TRUE!**

**Jackie: Well, I do believe my excuse is going to fall somewhere under 'NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul'**

**Sarah: Wonderful. NO ONE CARES! xTTII ( --the amazing vein throb face)**

**Jackie: ;; That's not cool..**

---

Naruto's Apartment

---

After washing off the blood from his arm, Naruto sat down on at the table and began to stare vacantly into space. The clock ticked in the background, and somewhere a lonely dog barked.

Little Naruto sighed, jiggling one leg restlessly. He was a young boy, and young boys did not like to be cooped up. No, sir. Suddenly, a thought occurred. Sarutobi had never told him, at least not directly, that he had to stay in the apartment. It had seemed like an unspoken promise, but you can't break what doesn't exist, can you?

For one minute exactly, Naruto considered staying inside.

Ten minutes later, he was walking down the street. The sights, smells, and sounds were all so cheerful and unfamiliar to the boy; it was such a thrill to be alive!

Naruto walked through the shopping district for nearly a half an hour until he came to what seemed to be a more residential area near the Military Police Headquarters. A little river ran by the front of the building, and in front of the river was a long strip of soft-looking green grass. Naruto ran towards it with a big smile on his face, never having seen something as beautiful as this before, and looked for a good spot to sit.. but instead he saw a boy. The boy looked to be the same age as Naruto, with dark blue-black hair. And so, feeling friendly and invincible, Naruto walked over to the boy and sat down next to him.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, who are you?" The blonde said enthusiastically, grinning widely.

The boy appeared to hesitate for a moment. "I'm Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke! Why are you sitting out here?" Naruto asked quizzically. This was the first time he'd actually met someone, and he was quite excited about it.

He sighed disappointedly. "It's just, well.. it's not really important.. it's not like it's something that hasn't happened before.. but.." Sasuke muttered bitterly, staring somberly into the flowing water. "It's my.. my older brother. He keeps promising that he'll take me to train with him, and he never does. Today was the day we were supposed to take off to just go be together and train, and then o-nii-san gets offered a mission and he jumps up to take it. I.. was really looking forward to today.. and, well.." He finished lamely, sighing.

The blonde boy mirrored his pose and sighed as well. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I can't say I know how you feel, but.. I'm sorry for you. Do you want to be friends? Maybe we could train together!" He finished enthusiastically.

Sasuke looked up with a bit of hope in his eyes. "Okay! That'd be cool! But you'd better be good, or else I'll stomp you into the ground." He growled playfully.

Naruto laughed, happy to be able to talk to someone his own age for the first time in.. well, ever. But suddenly, he frowned. "I don't know if that would work, though. Hokage-sama might not let me go.." He thought hard for a moment, trying to think of a time when the old geezer had ever told him that he was not allowed to leave the apartment, or that he wasn't allowed to talk to anyone.

"_You_ know the Hokage?_ Personally?!_" Sasuke exclaimed, almost in awe of the other boy. When you are six years old, anyone who knows anyone famous is automatically someone to be revered.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, he comes over to my place every morning. We talk and he teaches me things and I draw him pictures. But I don't know why.." He frowned, never having thought like this before. "Well, anyways, he's trying to talk me out of being a ninja, but that's all I ever want to do! Ninjas are super cool! Especially Yondaime Hokage. He was the coolest ninja ever! I want to be like him!"

"Wow, Naruto! I still can't believe that you _know_ Sandaime. What's he like? Does he sleep and eat like normal people?" The dark-haired boy asked, unable to move from the first point to the second.

Smirking, Naruto leaned back in the grass and looked over at the other boy. "Well, maybe you should come over to my apartment sometime and I could introduce you."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. "No way! That would be so cool! I-" But before he could continue, his father exited the Headquarters and called out.

"Oi! Sasuke-chan!" Uchiha Fugaku beckoned his son inside with a hateful glare at Naruto, who shivered momentarily.

"Well, I gotta go now. I'll see you around, then Naruto. Okay?" Sasuke said regretfully, giving his new friend a sad smile, then walking slowly up the hill and inside.

Naruto nodded. "Okay.." He whispered, despite Sasuke was now far out of hearing range. He waited around for a while, just sitting and watching the river crawl lazily by, but finally decided it was time to go back home. Standing up with some difficulty, Naruto moved to take his first step, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Countless coloured dots swam into his vision, and through the blurry haze, Naruto saw himself tumble forwards, towards the grass. His hands flew out in front of him to lessen the impact, but it never came.

At least, he never felt it come. Naruto's young body toppled over and he did indeed fall to the ground, but it was as if all his senses, except sight, had broken down. The blond had no idea how long he lay there, only that one minute, he was standing, the next, he'd fallen over.. and not felt it.

After he trusted his legs to support him again, Naruto stood up, shaking. He felt weak all of a sudden- he needed to get home, fast. Putting one foot out in front of him, and another, and another, Naruto slowly broke into a run. He was soon moving as fast as a little boy could down the streets of Konoha.

But in his eagerness to leave in the first place, Naruto had not noted the street his apartment was located on, nor the apartment number, for that matter. He soon became hopelessly lost in the backstreets of Konoha.

Groaning aloud in frustration at his own foolishness, the boy looked around at the dank alley he was currently standing in. It definitely wasn't familiar, but then again, none of these streets were. He looked around for someone, anyone, who might be able to help, and spotted a woman standing on the street corner.

She looked a little old, but her make-up seemed to hide the fact- mostly. She was a very skinny, buxom, woman, wearing little to hide her shame. Naruto was very intimidated, but approached her nonetheless. "E-excuse me, ma'am.." He said meekly, tugging gently at her arm.

A wrinkled face whipped around to glare at Naruto, and he recoiled.

"Whaddya want, brat?" She snapped angrily.

Naruto fidgeted under her gaze, wringing his hands repeatedly. "I-I'm lost.." He said quietly. "My name is Naruto. Can you help me?"

"I ain't no babysitter, brat. You just get the hell outta my face, that'll help ya." The woman sneered at him, turned, and walked away with a none-too subtle sway to her hips.

Sniffling and fighting back tears at her cruelty, Naruto continued along his way, passed a large variety of shady-looking shops, several of which had a slow stream of unstable men pouring out. He was just about to give up hope, when at last he bumped into someone, who immeadietly stopped to help.. or not.

The man was incredibly tall and muscled, carrying a half-empty bottle of some foul-smelling liquid. This was typical of the others on this street.. but what was unique was that he was crying. Great rivers of tears streamed down his face, and he made no effort to stop them.

Little Naruto's heart ached for him, and he asked softly, "Excuse me, sir? Are you alright? Is there anything I can do?"

But he only continued to sob dryly, shaking his head and moaning, "You can't.. no one can.. Aiko-chan, that bastard took my Aiko-chan.." His great shoulders shook tremendously as he half-staggered down the street, towards the .

The blond quickly ran alongside him, trying to awaken some reaction from the man. "Who? Who took her?" He asked, reaching out a small hand and placing it gently on the burly man's forearm.

He jumped at this contact and looked down to Naruto, bleary emerald eyes attempting to focus. And then.. he recognized him. His entire body stiffened, lips curling downwards in an ugly sneer. "You.. you took.. you took her!" The man cried, eyes bulging with recognition. "BASTARD FOX! You killed my Aiko-chan!" He roared, raising the fist which grasped the bottle, and brought it down heavily into the side of Naruto's skull.

Pain exploded in his mind, and the young boy fell to the ground with a cry of alarm and agony. The bottle shattered on his head, shards impaling themselves across his forehead and releasing in an instant. Blood spurted from his temple, and Naruto fought back a yell at this.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you like you killed her!" The man bellowed, stomping down heavily on the boy's left leg. A sickening 'crack' echoed through the late afternoon air, followed shortly by screaming.

"I didn't do anything! Stop it! Please, I didn't do anything!" Naruto cried, tears of confusion and pain streaming down his cheeks.

This only seemed to antagonize him, for he next brought down his terrible foot on the boy's stomach. "Lying bastard! You killed her! I'll kill you!" He shouted over and over, paying no attention to the boy's pleas.

"Help me! Somebody help me!" He screamed, crimson blood now dripping from the corners of his mouth, as well as from the gashes on his forehead and into his eyes. _'Why won't anyone do anything? Why are they just staring?'_ He thought desperately, shouting aloud, "Please!! Someone, help me!"

But the people in the streets just stopped and stared, some seething with silent anger, others openly laughing and applauding. When the man brought his foot down upon Naruto's chest, he knew that he would die here.. unwanted, and unloved.

All because he hadn't done what he was told. All because he refused to follow orders.

As life faded from his sapphire eyes and the villagers began to move on, Naruto wondered what death would be like. Because he truly was going to die..

die..

die.

His eyelids slid shut, and Naruto thought no more.

**---**

**Jackie: I really felt like ending it right here, but since I'm so nice (and because Sarah is so annoying..)**

**Sarah: You all owe me! **

**Jackie: Well, someone's in a better mood..**

**---**

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The incessant noise of water falling into water echoed in his brain. The boy frowned slightly.. it was so annoying. Why wouldn't it stop? Couldn't he just have a peaceful afterlife?

Sighing softly, Naruto opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying- rather, floating- in about three feet of filthy, stagnant water. The pool sat, undisturbed, in the middle of a great hallway. At one end lay a darkened wall, inscribed with intricate green runes, and at the other, a blinding crimson light.

And beneath him, below the water, he could barely make out a colossal black seal, it's many lines twisting and crossing again and again. Naruto had little time to examine it, however, before he heard a great rumbling voice from the end of the hall.

**"Hurry.."**

Hurry? Hurry where? Naruto's head cocked to the side in confusion. What was this voice, and why did it want him to hurry? He was dead, he had all the time in the world.

**"Hurry, boy.. Before it's too late.."**

Something in the pit of his stomach urged him to follow the voice, so grudgingly Naruto waded through the deep water, towards the end of the hallway. "What do you want with me?" He called to the emptiness.

**"I want.. to save you.. Hurry."**

Speeding up slightly, Naruto did as he was told, forcing his way towards the light. As he drew closer, he saw a gateway, the size of which he had never seen before. Long, narrow bars reached up towards a roof he could not see. A thin piece of paper rested on the center bar, imbued with a single word; 'Seal.'

"What is this?" the blond wondered aloud, drawing nearer. He squinted into the darkness inside the gate, trying to make out what was within. And suddenly.. it happened.

A great paw reached out and threw itself at the bars, and though the contact seemed to burn it, it continued to reach towards him. A strange red energy reached further then the actual paw, and it grabbed hold of him as would a hand.

Naruto cried out, fighting back the energy's grip, but it was far too strong for his young body. When finally he stopped resisting, the energy melted into his body, making him feel.. more complete, in a way. The boy dropped back to the surface of the water, but he was not harmed. "What was that? What did you do to me?" Naruto yelled in a rare show of frustration and anger.

He was not quite expecting an answer, but receive one he did.

**"I healed you."** The voice rumbled, and suddenly a scarlet eye as big as his full body appeared.

Naruto fell down in shock. He knew who this was- this was the beast that he had drawn not twelve hours ago. "K-Kyuubi no Kitsune.." He stammered fearfully.

A large wind that created great waves in the water passed over the boy, coming from within the cage. It sounded almost like a sigh..

**"Well, at least you know who I am, boy. And if you truly do, I suggest you be a little more grateful next time. Not that it takes a lot of effort to patch up a mortal, but still.. you should be pleased that I'm even bothering to acknowledge you, let alone save you. But that brings me back to my original concern, which would be, 'Why are you here, or more importantly, Why did you require my assistance in the first place?'"**

Naruto thought hard, then it all came back to him in a flash. "I was walking down the street when I found a very sad man. I tried to talk to him, but he kept saying that I killed someone he knew. And then.. he killed me." He let out a sigh, still not quite understanding what had happened here. Eternity with the Kyuubi? He must have done something really bad before he lost his memory..

But the fox only laughed, long and hard. **"Trust me, boy. If he had killed you, I would be in a considerably fouler mood. I healed you; your body is quite fine right now. But I suppose that if you're old enough to get yourself into a fight that almost kills you, you're old enough to begin training.. at the very least, training enough so that you won't get into such a situation again."**

The boy perked up immeadietly. He wasn't dead? He was going to be TRAINED? Things just kept getting better and better.. Suddenly, a thought occurred. Naruto's brow furrowed, and he asked curiously, "But I thought you were evil...why else would you attack Konoha?"

Another laugh, this one slightly bitter. **"It's a long story, kid. A story for another time. But for now, you need to get up and go back home. I'll visit you again when you go to sleep.."**

Naruto sighed. "Okay.. but.. how do I do that?"

**"It's easy. All you have to do is wake up.."**

**"..wake up.."**

"WAKE UP!" A panicked voice shouted in his ear..

**---**

**Sarah: Aaaand that is where my kindness ends. **

**Jackie: GASP! The plot thickens!**

**Sarah: n.n Until next time, folks..**

**Jackie: ..Read and Review! -waves-**


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